2. Knives are a typical symbol associated
with a thriller as they have
connotations of blood, death, pain and
brutality. Knives are often used to show
that somebody is going to get killed
and thus it acts a common device to
keep the audience engaged. Seeing a
knife doesn’t necessarily mean
someone is going to be hurt or killed,
they can be used purely to make the
viewers un-easy.
3. Silhouettes and shadows are what give a thriller the enigma and mystery
for the audience. Shadows are a common piece of iconography associated
with the thriller genre because they build up fear in the audience, by
instigating that the protagonist is being watch by a human being or some
kind of animal/monster. Viewers will usually be able to see the
shadow/silhouette where as the character that is being watched wont. A
character with a silhouette is most likely to be the antagonist, which usually
isn't revealed until the end of the film.
4. Woods are locations often used for
thrillers. This is because they create a
sense of being lost as the characters
find themselves tyring to figure out
how to escape. Woods are often
isolated too, which creates a sense of
vulnerability and it seems inevitable
that the characters will ever find any
help. There may be one house in the
woods which often turns out to be
the antagonist.